(I forgot which forum is appropriate for asking for medical advice, so please move this as needed, Mods.)
About four years ago I had vertigo for 2 days; it is disconcerting. Today I have it again. Any suggestions or recommended remedies? I’ve no other symptoms. I do have artery disease, and realize that might be a cause. The last few days, I’ve had too much caffeine and slept irregular hours - again a fixable cause, though it would be nice to know a remedy. Nearest drug store is in a city 35 miles from my house, but wife is going to the city anyway this evening. Dramamine? (I did see a doctor 4 years ago; don’t remember his medicine except it seemed to have no effect.)
“Consult a competent physician” is very good advice, but easier said than done in rural Thailand, where I live. “Google it” might be good advice, but is a confusing way for a layman to get medical info.
There are any number of reasons for vertigo. My wife had a prolonged episode which was diagnosed as a problem with the crystals in her inner ear (yes, really). There is a treatment called the Epley Maneuver seen here and in other videos that helps put them back where they belong. Or it could be an inner ear infection. You really need to consult a doctor about it, though.
It’s possible that you’ll be passed around like a rugby ball when being diagnosed.
There is a rare brain condition called ataxia, which may only become apparent after long bouts of what seems like vertigo, but gets worse and worse.
I had a lovely case of vertigo when I tapered off my antidepressant. My family doctor sent me to the ER, thinking I’d get all kinds of diagnostic tests.
Ha.
I saw a PA (physican’s assistant) who said the easiest diagnostic test was to try a dose of meclizine. It helped a little bit, and the ER was such a nuthouse I begged to be released. Meclizine is available OTC as the motion sickness drug BONINE.
~VOW
I just had my second set of Epley maneuvers for vertigo on Tuesday. They’ve helped quite a bit; I can now tilt my head and look at things to either side of me. I still have a feeling of generally being off balance and look a little drunk when I walk, so I guess I’ll be going back for a third visit. These procedures are usually done by physical therapists; are those any easier to find in rural Thailand than doctors?
With your arterial disease, I think a visit to a doctor at the earliest opportunity is in order. Vertigo can be a symptom of blockage in the arteries of the neck, which can lead to stroke. Until then, meclizine is the only medication I ever hear being prescribed to deal with the vertigo itself.
I would first try the maneuvers because it’s the simplest explanation; I used them in the past and they helped. And OTC meclizine did help.
But, unfortunately, it’s probable it’s high blood pressure or something, as you mentioned, that affects the blood pressure in your cranium. When it fluctuates, you feel the vertigo.
When you turn your head to the side when you are laying down, do you feel like you are falling off a cliff?
It went away when I started exercising and taking bp medication. If you lose only a few lbs. it can help as well, given you have a few to lose.
Can you order meds online there? like from an Indian pharmacy?
Thanks for the responses. My wife will try to buy meclizine this evening. I will also try the Epley Maneuver, if I have the patience for it. :smack: I’ve noticed another symptom: my face feels hot when I’m standing. High b.p. may not be the problem; I already take 5 mg Enaril daily. I do need to get more exercise. (I also have tinnitus. I’ve had that for a long time, but it’s bad today and was bad, IIRC, during my vertigo 4 years ago.)
My symptom was milder than 4 years ago, and has improved more after a nap. I feel a bit dizzy standing up. The worst visual sensation is lying on my back staring straight up. 4 years ago the ceiling would rotate non-stop; now the ceiling slides back and forth without rotating. The problem occurs looking up; if I look at an angle towards a corner of the ceiling there’s no effect. I can’t experiment too much, as the sliding-ceiling effect makes me want to vomit.
Thanks again, very much, for the helpful responses.
I’m only mentioning this because you said you have vertigo with tinnitus. A friend of mine was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. Meniere’s “is characterized by episodes of vertigo and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss, usually in one ear.” That’s going to require a professional diagnosis, of course, but read up on the symptoms and see if they seem to fit. Episodes can be very frequent or very rare, and are influenced by diet and stress. The symptoms of Meniere’s are somewhat treatable with medication, but there is no cure.
My friend had tinnitus in one ear that got much worse with the dizzy spells. She was working full-time and participating in a double-blind study, until her episodes got so frequent she had to move back in with a parent across the country. She could be walking down the hall and randomly one would hit her out of nowhere, and she’d be on the floor instantly. Then it could disappear immediately, like nothing, or stick around for days.
A lot depends on what is causing your vertigo, if it is in your inner ear,an ear doctor taught me to sit on the edge of the bed and let my body fall left then right for a few times to let the fluid settle, he also taught me that the brain also get s a wrong signal and just by telling my self," the room is not spinning all is okay", and it works. If the vertigo is not caused by the inner ear, them it could be that you need a medication like Plavix to keep your arteries from having clots. It would pay(I would think) to have a doctor diagnose the cause . It can be somthing simple or not.
This happened to me. I was treated by an audiologist in an Ear Nose and Throat doctor’s office. It went away immediately. I really suffered for several weeks before it was diagnosed.
I’ve had these attacks (?) a few times over the years. Once so bad I couldn’t stand up. At first the Dr said it was probably a sinus cyst. He gave me antibiotics and it seemed to work. IE: cysts are a sort of infection. Last year, I went to a health fair and found out (as they scanned my carotid artery for blockage) that I have three thyroid cysts. I have had a number of troublesome other symptoms over the last 10 years and have found out since diagnosing the thyroid cyst that they may have all be related to it. Thyroid cycst are caused by lots of things but a most of them have to do with Iodine, too much or the lack of. My Dr suggested that even though my bloodwork didn’t come back with an actual thyroid disease that I start taking multivitamins. I am over 50 and it seems like vitamins (some) for this age have extra ingredients, one of them is iodine. over the years I knew I was run down and tried taking them, but after a week or so I got kindof mentally foggy. Never was before so I stopped taking the vitamins even though they made me feel so much better each day I took them. Now I take them every three days and am doing ok, even losing weight without trying, about a pound every couple weeks. If you check out thyroid cycst on the iternet you can read up and see what and if the symptoms fit you. We just assumed the symptoms were caused by my getting older and being heavier by 20 lbs. than I should be.
My wife had vertigo. The doctor did the Epley maneuver and taught me how to do it in case it recurred. It worked and it hasn’t. Many years ago I had a bout of vertigo, but it hit only when I rolled over in bed. Three weeks later is disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. My doctor said it was likely an infection in the inner ear.
ํำYes. :smack: IIRC, I did not have sinus infection in the 4-years ago vertigo. I’ve had sinusitis off-and-on for decades (even doing nasal polypectomy once), so much that I almost don’t notice.
Anyway, between a lot of sleep, simple steam remedy for nasal congestion, and my attempt at Epley Maneuver, the symptom is gone today. There is an ear-nose-throat specialist 35 miles away who impressed me with his diagnosis of an earlier problem and I’ll consult him if symptoms recur. Is blood clotting a likely cause? I’ve “unrelated” symptoms occasionally that could also be explained by clots. (I’ve been on Plavix before, inconvenient for me as I tend to cut myself shaving etc. :dubious: )
I feel bad complaining about my vertigo, since my episodes may be “minor.” I’m able to walk, and haven’t actually vomited, though feeling the urge. Nevertheless it is very disconcerting. As one ages one learns to live with certain chronic conditions, but habitual vertigo – even the “mild” form I get – would seem intolerable.
BTW, the 35-miles away pharmacy did not have meclizine. I’ll try a bigger pharmacy 65 miles away. (Someone with a map of Thailand might be able to deduce my location by now. ) The government hospitals have more thorough drug stocks than the pharmacies but might not provide it while I’m asymptomatic.
Thanks again for the replies, which I will reread if/when symptoms recur.
Both my brother and mother have menieres and I was going to post it before i saw you did. Caffeine supposedly makes it worse so that fits with what the OP said.
Most episodic vertigo is of unknown but benign causes, and rather resistant to treatment.
Once things like tumors, infections, and otoliths (crystals or stones in the inner ear’s balance mechanism) and etc. have been ruled out, there’s not a lot of effective treatment.
One approach. Avoid the following, during episodes:
Fatigue
Alcohol
Caffeine
Tobacco
Salt
Also note that meclizine and similar drugs will NOT help the dizziness. They may reduce the nausea, and/or make it possible for you to sleep through the worst of the symptoms, but they don’t really seem to reduce the spins.
I had bout with Vertigo about 5 years ago. awful feeling.
My girlfriend was away on business.
About 5:30 am. I woke up in a cold sweat, my sheets were soaking wet in my well air-conditioned house. I could barely stand up. Somehow got to the bathroom, dry heaved, took some tylenol, toweled off, took my temperature (it was about 97 deg) and went back to bed on the other side of the bed. Queen bed, sleep alone. I was really pissed that I didn’t have a temperature.
somehow got back to sleep, and phone rang about 9 am. It was a buddy wanting to confirm golf game. I told there NFW, and he asked what was the matter. I told him. He said he would pick me and take me to my doctor, a mutual friend. He called and made an appointment. I told to give me about 20 minutes to clean up and he picked me up. While I was waiting for him, I dry-heaved a couple times out in the yard
Didn’t get to see my friend, but a nurse practitioner. Took temperature, pulse, BP etc. She gave me a couple of shots in butt, buddy took me home, and I slept for most of the rest of the day and night. I was wobbly for a few days after that but I haven’t had a re-occurrence.
I have no idea what happened to me. The Nurse practitioner said something but I have no idea what. But it went away. and has not returned. knock on wood.
mine are usually allergy related. the last time, i went to bed just fine, woke up with a wicked sinus headache, stuffed nose, and the room flying at me cattywampus. usually i struggle to sit up, blow my nose and things settle down.
this time it took the sinus headache 3 days to fully go away, and the vertigo 4 days to fully stop. i had to be very careful in how i moved. so happy when i woke up and the room stayed still.
) The government hospitals have more thorough drug stocks than the pharmacies but might not provide it while I’m asymptomatic.